The Things She Did For Love
by NerdCore
Summary: Claire loved Gray; she thought she'd made it perfectly clear. Or at least somewhat so. So it's no surprise that when Gray gets engaged to Mary, things turn sour. (OOC for the purposes of the story; who knows how mad you could go if someone you loved got married. It's the worst kind of betrayal).
1. Despair

Claire's hearing had suddenly cut off. All that remained was the faint ringing of the words she'd just heard. "Mary and I are getting married." Gray was still smiling happily at her, blathering on about their marriage plans. The ringing continued until there was no noise at all. All Claire could think of were the various times she and Gray had talked, the various ways they'd become closer. She touched the silver necklace Gray had made for her not very long ago.

Her eyes burned and her chest ached as she nodded at their gaping faces. She wanted to make them think she was at least paying attention to them. She cracked what she hoped was a winning smile, but from the uncertainty in the couples eyes she knew it'd turned out to be more of a grimace. She coughed awkwardly and tried to look away.

But Claire's eyes wandered his face instead; the strong outline of his face, the way his lips moved as he spoke. There was a smile there that could not be wiped off. And rightly so. Claire just wished it was because of herself and not because of Mary; but it was too late for that.

She hadn't been proactive enough. The stinging continued, and finally, she felt her eyes get moist. Mary noticed, and with the stabbing sadness she felt she heard her voice all too clearly.

"Gray, maybe now's not such a good time." She touched his chest and looked up at his face. Gray looked down at her and then back at Claire.

"Oh, um- we could send the rest of the details in the mail, if you'd like, Claire."

Claire whipped at her eyes hurriedly, cursing herself inwardly. "Was cutting some onion for breakfast, sorry," she said, though her kitchen was clearly untouched. She cleared her throat to prevent it from cracking as she spoke. "Continue please. Sit if you want; I'll go make some coffee."

They instead backed towards the door. "No, it's fine. We have to go tell others anyway." Claire stood awkwardly in the now too-empty space between her dining room table and her kitchen. She realized she should be walking them out and turned too quickly.

"If you insist," she said. "Congratulations, by the way." She hugged Mary and then held out a shaking hand to Gray. He took it in his own, squeezing it firmly.

"Thank you, Claire." Hearing her name from him usually made her want to squeal girlishly; but this time it only set a dead weight down into her stomach. She felt like puking. She squeezed his hand as strongly as she could manage, just to keep herself strong. She clenched her jaw and nodded.

Before she knew it, they were gone, and she was left staring at the worn wood of her front door. A sob forced its way up and out of her throat.

Before that moment she hadn't realized that what she felt for Gray was more than just a small crush. For some reason she would have expected him to realize how she felt. She ran her hands up and down her face, wiped off the tears, and stood.

She had a farm to take care of.

The depression weighed her down much more than the crops and ores Claire always carried. It took such a physical and mental effort to do anything anymore. Ever since she found out about them.

She touched the back of her front door, debating whether or not the animals and crops really needed to be tended to that day. She dreaded leaving the house and going into the light of day where she was exposed; the puffy red eyes, clenching fists, and baggy eyes. It was hard not to break down every so often and cry a bit. She could only hold her tears back for so long.

She went out and the first thing she noticed was her mailbox. She stared at it for a while, its bright red flag standing up. Her hand twitched towards it once. She walked up to it and slipped her hand inside, feeling the thick paper of the wedding invitation amongst the thin paper of bills and notices. She flinched backwards as though burned by a pot and clutched her hand close. She spit at the foot of the mailbox and ran the opposite way.

It wasn't fair. So many moments with him had led her to believe they would be closer than friends. Hadn't he felt it too? Hadn't it been romantic down in the mine together, digging ores out of the earth and sharing them?

Once again she reached towards her neck and clutched the necklace. Fresh tears pooled in her eyes. No matter what she did, it would never be enough. Hell, she couldn't even keep a horse, how would she manage a man?

She avoided her home for the rest of the day. She stayed out 'till midnight, knowing it would be even harder to get up the next morning.

And with that she experienced the first spark of an imminent anger. She couldn't believe that she'd let herself get that depressed over a man. She should've been strong enough to move on; she should've been happy for Mary, who was undoubtedly her best friend in the village. In that moment she couldn't stand herself for being so selfish. She couldn't stand that she wanted to break them apart so badly, no matter how happy they were.

These thoughts brewed in her mind as she walked home. She rubbed her shoulders while trying to comfort herself. She stopped in front of the mailbox and pulled out all the envelopes. Inside she put it on her table and sat down.

Time passed all too quickly as she opened her bills and other assorted mail and read them. She sorted them all out neatly, ignoring the invitation. But of course, she had to look at it. She took hold of it and looked at the font.

"Nice choice, Mary," she said. Her voice sounded boring to herself. She would need to practice on giving her compliments. She peeled it open and pulled out the card. The sweet scent of herb perfume barely clung to it after spending a day in the murky mailbox.

It said all the normal things you would expect in English. Yet Claire was having a hard time reading it. She did it over and over but none of the information stuck. Whenever she read it the only thing that did stick was the title: _You are inviting to the wedding of Gray and Mary_.

No more tears came. She wouldn't let herself anymore. She set it down and stood, walking to her kitchen.

"No, you won't cry because of him anymore." She turned on the tap and began to wash her dishes. She needed to get her mind off of him. She scrubbed violently at the plate she'd used for salad. The tears fell anyway.

"You will not be sad because of them," she growled. Her hands shook with the anxiety of trying to hold it back. The dish slipped out of her hand and she dropped the plate, which shattered. She picked up another dish, and let it fall out of her hands, eyes trained on the wedding invitation. Then she put in a little force to dropping them. Before she knew it she was hurling the plates at the walls, yelling angry curses at Gray for lying to her, leaving her, not loving her.

She screamed at Mary for not understanding her feelings, for not seeing how obviously she loved Gray. They didn't deserve it, she knew. But she couldn't help but be angry. She knew it was her fault for never telling him, never giving a sign of liking him, but she felt obligated.

After all of her dishes were used up, she walked to her bed and fell there. She was asleep as soon as she hit the bed.


	2. Anger

Claire woke up when she heard knocking on her door. It was insistent and didn't stop, even though she ignored it. She groaned and stood.

She looked at herself in her mirror. She looked gritty; she hadn't bathed since she heard the news. It'd been 2 days, but as a farmer, that was a lot. "One second," she called her voice gruff. She ran some tap water and wiped her face off. After pulling her hair back up into a messy bun she walked to the door and opened it.

Gray stood just in front of it, poised and ready to knock again. "Oh, morning Claire." Claire stood rigidly in the doorway, unconsciously pushing it closed so he couldn't notice the shards of glass strewn around the house.

She looked him up and down her eyes catching on his ring. She took a defensive stance, anger gripping her. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Well, um. Mary was wondering if you could be her maid of honor; you know, you guys are really good friends and all." He scratched the back of his head, becoming suddenly bashful.

She gritted her teeth, gripping the doorway harder. "No… problem," she forced out. "You need me to come by?"

"Yeah, later on today if you don't mind."

"Sure, sure. See you then."

She closed the door in his face and pressed her back to it. She bit her hand to prevent from shouting until Gray was gone. She bit too deep and blood pooled at the edge of her hand.

But just like yesterday, she went out into the world to try and distract herself.

As the day went on, she dreaded going to visit the couple more and more. She felt a little insulted by Mary's bliss. The anger she felt grew and grew until she was hoeing the empty field she didn't need to. There was no other way to vent her anger. Smashing the plates had helped; why wouldn't tilling the fields?

And it did, for a little while. But it took up too much time. Before she realized it, she was in front of the inn. She smelled horrible, looked horrible, and probably sounded the same. But Mary wanted to see her, and she was there. Just like a good friend would be.

"Don't fuck with anything, Claire." She continued her quiet mantra as she entered. She waved at Ann and Doug at the counter. "Here to visit the new couple?" asked Ann.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"They've been fussing about it all day. They really want your approval."

An awkward silence followed.

"You do approve… right? I mean, they're a perfect couple."

Claire thought of Gray and her feelings, of the suffocation that came onto her when she saw him with Mary and not her. "Of course," she said smiling happily, hoping it at least looked like it was genuine. She continued up the stairs and went up them.

She brushed herself off in front of their door and tucked more stray strands of hair behind her ears. She knocked on the door and waited as she heard their scrambling. Mary finally opened the door and smiled at her. "Welcome Claire. Please, come in." She backed away from the door and let her in.

"Yeah, um, thanks." She stepped in awkwardly, feeling suddenly numb.

"So um, what can I help you with?"

"We just wanted to visit," said Mary. "Or rather, um, we wanted to have you visit. Please sit and eat with us."

Claire watched them as they stood together. Gray handled her so tenderly, trying his best not to hurt her. Mary seemed to fold herself up even more when around him, making herself tiny and insignificant.

Claire hated them for working so well together. She clenched and unclenched her fists, but passed it off as working out sore muscles. She walked toward the table they were referring to and sat herself down. She couldn't help but watch as Gray pulled out a chair for Mary.

Claire could feel her face heating up. "So what's for dinner?" she asked.

"Oh, I baked a roast and made some salad and stuff." He looked over at Mary. "Mary helped me of course."

"Of course." Claire clenched her fists under the table; it was her who had one the cooking festival 3 times in a row these past few years, not Mary. Her cooking was substantially better. She would've been a much better help for Gray.

It was all Claire could think as she sat there, watching Gray put out the roast and other side dishes. She began tapping her foot as well. Gray served her and Mary accordingly; Claire couldn't help but be smug at the fact that she had been served first; but it was just because she was the guest. Nonetheless it was a small victory for her.

They ate while having quiet small talk. For a moment, it reminded Claire of when they were all just friends, when she could flirt with Gray and not be worried about Mary's feelings.

Having been lost in her own thoughts, Claire finally came to, only to see Mary and Gray laughing together. Mary was blushing, as was Gray.

The perfect couple; she'd always known it, just never wanted to admit it. And now she'd heard it around town. There would be no way to break them apart; the way they looked at each other told her that. There would be no deceit between them.

And Claire came to the realization that there was only one way to break them.


	3. Resolution

The sudden calm she felt once she realized she would break them surprised her. No more anger; no more sadness. Just that one goal. She was sickened and pleased by it at the same time.

She pushed it to the back of her mind as she dined with them. It was so much easier to be in their company knowing she would separate them. Much, much easier. She found she could laugh at their jokes, smile at their loving attitudes towards each other, and enjoy the food. Compliments came more easily. The burden of regret was gone as she knew she could fix everything.

She helped Mary with some paperwork, even helped her pick out a veil and bouquet. By the end of the night she felt totally refreshed.

The next morning, Claire changed her overalls, realizing she'd worn those other musty ones for a few days. She would take a trip to the sauna later that day, but after taking care of her farm.

Unlike the past few days, when she was weighed down by regret and doubt, she finished all her tasks in record time. She stopped at her home one more time, taking all the tools necessary to stay in the mine for the rest of the day.

Her plan lurked in the back of her mind, but she told herself that there was the possibility Gray wouldn't even be there. No, she told herself, he definitely wouldn't be there. She would just spend the day mining ores.

But, just as she knew he would be, he was there. She reached the lower levels of the mine and there he was. "Hey, Gray," she called cheerfully. She touched her chest; her heart was pounding excitedly at the prospect of being alone with him. This was where she'd turn it all around. She'd make him belong to her again.

"Oh, hey Claire," he said nervously. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Really? You know I come here often to see you."

He laughed nervously. "Haha, yeah." He rubbed the nape of his neck and turned towards the exposed ladder leading down to the next level. "I'm just gonna head down now."

"I'll go with you." She followed him down the ladder, making sure to take her time. She turned to see him off in a corner, blushing. She crept up behind him, her hands shaking from excitement. She gently touched the small of his back, letting her hand trail upwards.

"You don't need to hide it you know." He scrambled forward clutching his chest. "It was just us before you met her. It's only natural that'd you'd want the pure feeling I can give you." Gray looked down bashfully. "Just give in; it's not a bad thing."

"Stop." His voice was bitter. It was laced with anger. "You're her friend, and mine too. You should be happy for us- stop being so selfish." The biting edge in his voice made her sick to her stomach. She hadn't expected that. She'd expected him to willingly give in, just go along with it.

He looked right into her eyes, the blue piercing hers. Her heart leapt into her chest; she was angry all over again. Her face got red as he spoke. "And you stink. I know it was hard on you but that doesn't mean you should stop taking care of yourself. I still want to be your friend; once your attitude is adjusted, come talk to me again."

Her eyes began to water. "F-fine… okay. But I'm not leaving here." She stomped and crossed her arms. Her childish manner caused Gray to roll his eyes.

"Me either; come down lower if you're ready to talk." He turned and left, leaving Claire to seethe.

She stared at the ladder he'd used to go down to the next level. Her face was a bright red. Her eyes burned from the need to cry, yet she refused to. She didn't want to seem desperate; she didn't want him to have to lecture her again. She felt like a child again.

For her that was the ultimate betrayal. She didn't want to be just friends. And if she couldn't be more than a friend, why could Mary?

Claire left her basket and most of her tools on her level; the only thing she brought with her was her hoe. She looped it through one of her belt holes and climbed down.

Gray had apparently gone further than one level. She continued on until she found him, her palms getting sweaty. By the time she reached his level, she was shaking all over with anticipation. But when she finally saw him, it all boiled over.

She could either go in loud and bothersome, or quietly and with composure. She unhooked her hoe and wrapped both hands around it. She took one quiet step, then another, and she was right behind him. Claire took one final deep breath, all of her anger coursing through her, blinding her.

And she swung.

But her grip wasn't strong enough, so the blow didn't go as deep as she wanted. But she was still strong, strong enough to knock him forwards a few feet.

"What the hell?" he shrieked. Claire readjusted her grip and swung again.

This time, she pierced skin. The blood blossomed through his jacket. He turned to look at her. "Claire?! What…?" She touched her necklace, showing it to him.

"This is our link," she said. Another large arc came down on him, this time with all her force. Gray was knocked down to his knees. He opened his mouth. "Don't speak," she screamed, swinging the blunt side of her hoe into the side of his face. It whipped him sideways. A dark trail of blood leaked down the side of his face.

It seemed it still hadn't registered with him that Claire wasn't going to stop. He spit towards the side to try and speak again. "C-Claire, please s-stop. For M-Mary if not me _please_." The desperation in his voice almost made her hesitate. She adjusted her grip again.

"You- I said- don't speak." The anger still boiled in her. She prepared to swing again. Gray saw, knew then that she wouldn't stop. When the blow came he lifted up his arm and stopped it.

"You- you're insane! I'm just a boy! You're better than this!" She rose her left hand and slapped him.

"I can't stand your fucking _mouth._" She was more dangerous than ever. Her voice was steady, no tears, and she was determined. He wouldn't be able to break her anymore.

No, she would do so much worse to him.

She swung the hoe around and brandished the sharp side. She aimed for his side. A satisfying crunch followed the impact, and more blood leaked out. Gray cried out, little bits of his blood addled spit spraying on the ground and the wall. He was on his hands and knees now, groaning in pain. He looked up towards the ladder just a few feet away. He made a half-hearted reach towards it before Claire brought the blunt side down on the back of his neck.

He was knocked out then. Not dead; she could have stopped. But she didn't.

Each strike made her feel a little bit better.

Each strike got rid of a little anger, sadness, regret, doubt, depression.

Each strike caused a spray of blood to splatter her as his jacket was in tatters.

By the end, all that was let of Gray was a bloody mass. A large pool of blood had gathered around him. He didn't breathe; Claire would've been surprised if he could have. She took in a few deep breaths, suddenly aware of the fact that she was exhausted physically.

But mentally, she felt much better. Happy even.

She lifted a hand to fix her hair but was stopped by the sight of her bloody fingers and arms. She looked down at her overalls and saw all the splatter.

"Shit you're right; I do need a bath." She sighed and laughed, shaking her head. "My bad; perhaps I should say you _were _right." However, her face and the necklace were untouched. She grabbed it and tore it off. "Won't be needing this anymore," she said, tossing it besides the corpse.

She left the body; no one else ever went into the mine. She collected her belongings and left the mine. Of course she wasn't stupid; she checked to make sure nobody was waiting for her outside, and then sprinted for the sauna. The heat worked its way through her. She reflected on the events of the past few days, past few hours, but ultimately felt no guilt. She closed her eyes and touched the now vacant spot on her chest; it felt strangely bare.

She'd done what she had to.

She'd done it for love.

* * *

**So sorry about this. Sorry that it was so bad. I probably won't proofread it ever, but if you point out mistakes/ clumsiness I'll fix it.**

**I wrote it to get some bad feelings out of my system. I was in a really bad mood. All better now though :P**

**Sorry again. Thanks for reading.**


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